


aboard a sinking ship

by Skaianot



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Character Death, F/M, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sadstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-07 23:00:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1125407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaianot/pseuds/Skaianot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he mistakes her for something else and shoots her from the sky, Dualscar is stuck caring for an injured handmaid and quickly realizes she isn't as much of a monster as implied.<br/>Quickly realizing he's falling for the demoness, Dualscar is forced to face his feelings and realizing that as long as they're together, he and his crew are sailing aboard a sinking ship.<br/>*updates tuesdays*</p>
            </blockquote>





	aboard a sinking ship

The choppy, cold waters licked at the edge of the massive ship. the salty air destroying the senses of those onboard who weren't born to sail amongst the Alternian seas. Standing at the helm of the massive ship was the proud captain, his salt worn cape was flapping harshly in the wind and his blue rifle- formerly named Ahab's Crosshairs- held close at his side. The churning waters produced waves that lapped onto the boat, attempting to swallow the vessel and the crew onboard but to no avail. Thick, black clouds seemed to compete with the sea to see which one could churn and appear more threatening. Glaring cooly at the clouded air, Dualscar lifted the rifle towards the sky, peering down the blue tinted sights and lining them up with a small point on the horizon. Thunder boomed overhead as lightning split the sky into small shards that quickly refused with each other. Something didn't feel normal, he reasoned, while storms were a common thing, and the land dwelling trolls below him were used to the salty air and churning waters of a typhoon or even small thunder story, they seemed uneasy as well.  
A screaming crack filled the air, reminding Dualscar of the sound Ice made when put in a warm liquid, that squealing, sharp noise comparable to a grub's cry. Frowning to himself, he took note of the ozone scented air and quickly pulled his rifle to sites again, focusing on a psychedelic point in the clouds. Frowning to himself as the multicolored flash darted through the charcoal sky, He lined up with it's next move and fired the crosshairs. A thick bolt of blue-white energy cut through the moist air, competing with the sickening sounds and smell that the light in the sky made. He watched it bounce in pattern, oblivious to the energy crackling and hurdling towards it. The air went silent, it seemed, his crew watching the energy cut through the sky and line up with the light's next move. A crash quickly followed, the sky warping with light and pulsating with smells and pressure, sending the crew to the ground and causing dual scar to fall to a knee. Watching the figure, he grinned to himself, the black form plummeting from the cold grey clouds and landing with a small splash in the black water below. Frowning slightly as the crew cheered, he held up his hand, the area falling silent again.  
"Its not over" he muttered to himself, his gruff voice was deep and the crew flinched as he spoke, each man running to the side of the ship and leaning over the railing, watching the churning black water with wide interest. Slowly, a soft glow filled the blackness of the water and a creature unlike that they could describe threw itself from the depths, coughing and sputtering before grasping for some sort of safety. Quickly, dual scar realize his mistake, this creature wasn't one of the white lusus nature he was sent to hunt, this was a troll he hadn't seen before. More importantly this was a female troll, wet sparks dripped off of her figure as she made an attempt to stay above the water, the crew threw a rope to her and before he could get his wits about him, she was on board, dripping with a deep maroon hue of blood. Frowning, he glanced around at the others, each looking on with worry as he stepped forward and lifted her head with the pointed end of his rifle. She didn't struggle and instead looked at him as though she were higher authority than him.  
"Whats yer name, girl." he muttered with a deep, crude voice. No answer. Frowning , he dropped her head and waved his hand, if she wouldn't talk, and she wasn't high on the spectrum, in fact she was the lowest possible shade, so why she held so much confidence was beyond him. Still frowning down at her, he glanced over at two of his crew members "Take her to the brig, lock her up for further questioning." he commanded, turning to head back to the helm. Before having taken two steps, a splitting crackle filled the air and threw his crew members back and away from the female troll. Spinning on his heel, Dualscar strode back a meter and watched as she struggled to get to her feet, she was wearing a black silk dress with vibrant, green accent, the right hip was torn wide from the attack and her grey skin was charred and looked melted from the hot bolt that she had taken. Glaring, the troll lifted her head to face dual scar, taking a step forward before stumbling and falling onto the railing of the ship. Her eyes flashed slowly, each color of the spectrum shown in her dead look, that violent glare that practically spelt out 'you just sealed your fate' Staring at her face, he took another step back  
-  
"She comes in the night and takes grubs from their lusus," the story teller stated, her sweeping arm motions casting a shadow over the crowd "she shows no mercy, no feeling….The handmaid of death, the deomoness herself, she's a monster to say the least!" the woman continued to explain "clad in the richest of colors and the hemospectrum flows through her veins, her psionics unlike those anyone has ever seen! When she comes for you, you best not run, lest you want a painful death…" she continued, her wide olive eyes sweeping over the crowd "and those who do see her and live to tell the tale, don't survive long after. She's ageless, an angel on black wings sent to cause chaos, destruction and sorrow!" It had been then that the small child Dualscar had been dragged out of the crowd and back to the ship he had worked on, being told that stories like that were utter poppycock and that he shouldn't worry over such childish things. Little did he know that those 'childish stories' were true, and took place right in front of his eyes.  
-  
"you're her…." he muttered as she lunged, tripping over her own feet and falling to the deck, a soft grunt being choked out of her throat as she hit the cold, wet wood. Still frowning, Dualscar's fins flared and he crouched in front of the limp troll, her eyes half lidded as she stared up at him, huffing lightly- she was so small, so small and yet she had caused a massive frenzy, and held such great power. Despite her size, he knew what power she held, what a threat she was- though something seemed off, according to legend she couldn't be hurt, and yet here she was on his deck, bleeding and battered. She couldn't bleed- and yet a hot red blood spilled over his deck, staining the wood. She couldn't die- and yet….and yet he was standing around like an idiot, wondering what was so different as she lay there, losing life with every bit of blood that spilled out over the wood, mixing with the salt water that probably stung the charred flesh on her side. Waving for his crew to back up, the captain knelt down and pulled the troll into his arms, holding her tight and glancing down at her with a stern look.  
"I'm going to help you, but only if you don't act stupid" he snipped, keeping her to his chest. She blinked in agreement, the flashing colors in her eyes slowing to a cold maroon shade. The wind whipped at his clothes and the icy rain stung his skin- nothing he wasn't used to but for someone like her, someone who seemed so frail and soft, she couldn't be used to the harsh winds and rain, her skin was already tinted red from the weather and as she bled on his amor he could feel the warmth leaving her body. Pushing through the doors, he glanced back before they closed, glaring at his crew who quickly got back to work.  
Rushing down the creaking, wooden steps, the captain pushed into his quarters- if he had the fate of someone who controlled his in his hands, then he better take care of her to ensure as painless an end as possible. Setting her down on his cot, Dualscar looked over her quickly, furrowing his brow before glancing around frantically. She had to live, he had to make sure of it, who knew what would happen if Death's handmaid lived up to her name and lost her life- especially on his ship. Ideas springing to life, he scrambled for a chest near his bed, digging through the contents until he found an old sack and shirt, drawing a dagger and shredding the fabric for makeshift bandages. Getting to his feet, the usually calm captain had lost his cool, cutting a thin seam in the maid's dress and doing his best to clean the wound. Glancing up to ensure she wasn't in pain, he somewhat panicked at the sight of her blank expression, she was asleep and didn't show signs of life. About to lose hope, a rushing relief washed through him when she took a breath- he could still work with this. He wasn't medically trained, but he could do this. Looking down at the gruesome wound, the captain set to work, cleaning and wrapping the tear in her skin, praying he hadn't caused a fatal blow, and praying he would know what to do.  
~*~  
It felt like an eternity before she woke up, the maid barely about her senses when Dualscar had started cleaning the wound. She cringed under his hand-which in turn caused him to flinch.  
"We aren't going to get you anywhere fast with the both of us flinchin' at every movement. The captain began, his violet eyes watching the troll dimly "so why dontcha just sit there and let me try to help." He explained, ripping another strip of fabric and pressing it to the large, molten gash on the woman's side. "Now why dontcha just tell my who you are and what you're doing here." He wanted information, but he wasn't a sensitive person, more interested in getting straight to the point rather than worrying with building a relationship. She didn't reply, causing his pulling and prying to tighten, the more pressure he put on what he was working on, the more she started to wince.  
"We aren't going to get anywhere with you being quiet either…" he muttered to himself, running his thumb over the charred edge of her side and watching as her muscles clenched, the troll obviously trying to keep her cool. "So c'mon, speak up." he snipped, tightening a knot around her waist. She had since been changed from the torn dress by one of the crew members- Dualscar had highly protested him even touching the maid, but the man had a wife back on land and new how to care for a woman with care.- and was now dressed in a loose white top and light, brown trousers. Her black hair was a mess, two long strands having been pulled back and clipped behind her neck to keep them out of the way for whoever was working on her wound.  
Word had gotten out quickly that the Handmaiden of death herself was onboard the ship, causing men to come up with their own theories as to why, each following the same pattern, she was on the ship because they were all doomed, or perhaps dual scar was doomed- either way someone was bound for death. No one wanted to help or get anywhere near her, dinners were silent, men went about their work day in and day out, each praying they'd make the journey back to the mainland soon as to get away from the demoness and live another day. While some wished to keep their distance, hoping she wouldn't bother them as long as they left her alone, others made wages on how much someone like her would be worth- a troll, more deadly than the great condescension herself- more importantly she was a lowblood so she'd go for a shiny coin at the right market. She could be put on display or strung up for sale or used as meat to feed the condesce's lusus to keep the glub at bay a while longer. While each man continued to come up with their own reasonings, Dualscar continued to care for her like any other regular troll.  
the minutes turned into hours and the hours dragged on, the maid never spoke, mostly sleeping or watching whoever was in the room to aid her. Eventually, however, as the day passed into evening and evening transitioned into night, she began to be more interactive and responsive with Dualscar, eventually speaking up as well.  
"You know who I am" she muttered at one point, causing Dualscar to jerk from the book he was reading and look her square in the eye- had she really just spoken up or was it his imagination at play?  
"Im sorry?" he replied, slowly closing the book and resting it in his lap.  
"don't play coy, you know who I am…" she retorted- Her voice was raspy at best, but she carried a rich yet hollow tone, a voice that was soothing to the ears but sent an icy chill down your spine with every word. it seemed indescribably beautiful-but beautiful like a tigress, to be admired from a distance or to risk your life to get a closer lick at. "you people only whisper my title in fearful, hushed tones behind closed doors, the demoness, The handmaid of death, a monster, whatever you prefer to call me, you know who I am. and you think you know why I'm here" she stated, unmoving from her position on the cot.  
"Well, miss…misses" he began, twirling his hand some and trying to pin sole name to call her, receiving only a chuckle from the weakened being. How dare she laugh at his struggles! He was genuinely trying to help her and she did nothing but laugh as he floundered for words, attempting to be polite "Well, Maid." he quipped, glaring at her and only receiving a colder glare back- harsh. "From what I have learned and what the rumors are, you are nothing more than a sign of death- a bird in the house…a black cat crossing your path, a bad omen- if you've come for me then go ahead but if you've come for my crew…well then you've got another thing coming." he stated, getting to his feet.  
Dualscar was a large figure, standing easily above 6'5, his broad chest adorned in lightweight violet armor, the black undertone carving out an aquarius symbol across his chest. He was a strong man, and a man of knowledge. His fingers were adorned with gold rings, each finger having at least one of the bands of precious metal, twin scars traveling down the right half of his face, zig-zagging in similarity to the zodiac carved on his chest plate. He couldn't stand having to treat a low blooded woman like this, especially when she didn't bring any good news. Sneering to himself, the man took a breath before looking down at her with a stern, tight-lipped expression.  
"Every man on this ship is worth the skin on your back and possibly more, they're hard working lads and deserve the upmost respect, they've got blood higher than yours running' in their veins, and you aint going to lay a finger on 'em without having trouble at your back." he warned, fixing his collar "while you may be feared by many, my men fear their own wives more than they fear the likes a you!" he snipped, causing the woman to chuckle more and causing his face to flush a light violet in frustration  
"I wasn't hear for your men, Ampora" she seethed, a soft but cruel grin on her face. It struck him deep that she knew his name- then again she supposedly knew everyone's names, everyone's history and lifespan, she was supposed to be a myth-but was respected as a goddess. "I was reviewing the land, getting familiar with my workplace, there are many lives to be lost, many souls expired…and you just happened to mistake me for someone's caretaker and decide to attempt to orphan another poor, pitiful troll, leaving them to wonder why their lusus didn't return- why were they left alone in this cruel world and did they do something wrong? were they unloved?" she hit him hard then, and it was visible as he pursed his lips and clenched his fists. "oh what's wrong, your custodian didn't come back? poor, young ampora…poor, poor ampora, so young…only 5 sweeps? when your lusus was so brutally murdered by the hands of the former captain of this ship! yes young ampora left alone in the world with no one to turn to, quickly to be picked apart by the vultures and cruel low blooded trolls if he couldn't find someone to take care of him, poor ampora," she taunted, smiling weakly as she watched him tense up, her soft grin quickly passing to an unamused frown "you know how it is and yet you insist on inflicting the same pain on others…tsktsktsk, what a shame, ampora. such a shameful act- but it puts gold in your pocket and food in Gl'bgolyb's stomach, doesn't it?"  
The words hit hard, causing him to stiffen up as he looked down at the maid "don't expect sympathy from anyone on board, you shouldn't even be here to begin with." he muttered before turning and storming out of the door, it was late and he needed rest, rest and maybe a strong drink.  
definately a strong drink.

**Author's Note:**

> oooh wow this started off as an english assignment and look what happened!  
> first chapter, really rushed, my apologies!


End file.
